my steering randomly changes?

[munkynpunky]

Hi Again,

Gonna be a busy post day i fear lol

Right, driving in a straight line, my wheel should sit at quarter past three, but instead sits at 20 past 10/11 ish.... as i speed up to 70 the car changes direction and i have to ajust the wheels to quarter past three, then straight back to 20 past 10???

is this alignment or something worse, im my dad's escort he had a similar thing but much much worse, but his was a wishbone had cracked so under pressure the left hand wheel pulled away from the car and basically bent the car.....???

Any one had this?

Thanks Again

Drew

[Evilgoat]

Audi used to do it. Cost a bit to put right and I could see the Suzi having the same problem.

Check :

All bushes and balljoints, sterring box mounting (is it secure) Tread wear and pressure of the tyres, rear bushes and track control arms if the Zuki has em on the back end. Get each wheel off the ground and give it a good heave about, try to wobble leftt o right and top to bottom. Check your wheel bearing and suspention mounts.

On the Audi it was all 16 bushes (4 per wheel) driver's side wheel bearings and a suspention/subframe mount.

I'd also check the play in the sterring box if I were you too. I'd also thing about not driving it untill is corrected and many of the possible causes could lead to seriouls mechanical failure without warning. IE dropping a ball joint while driving :)

[munkynpunky]

Audi used to do it. Cost a bit to put right and I could see the Suzi having the same problem.

Check :

All bushes and balljoints, sterring box mounting (is it secure) Tread wear and pressure of the tyres, rear bushes and track control arms if the Zuki has em on the back end. Get each wheel off the ground and give it a good heave about, try to wobble leftt o right and top to bottom. Check your wheel bearing and suspention mounts.

On the Audi it was all 16 bushes (4 per wheel) driver's side wheel bearings and a suspention/subframe mount.

I'd also check the play in the sterring box if I were you too. I'd also thing about not driving it untill is corrected and many of the possible causes could lead to seriouls mechanical failure without warning. IE dropping a ball joint while driving :)

Hmm, I have no idea how to check most of the above... but i just jacked it up and wobbled the wheels, and no movement left to right or top to bottom...

[robbie]

has it always done it?? If so, it might be worth just taking it to someone to check the tracking before it eats your tyres. If it has just started or progressively got worse, then something is wrong, maybe a bent steering arm or something.

if it has just started, can you think of bumping up anything that might have caused the damage.. it might point you in the right direction for checking

[Evilgoat]

Forgot tracking, D'oh.

bushes will be at the point the suspnetion arm meets the chassis, they are the rubber inserts located there.

You're looking for play in places there shouldnt be. By wobbling the wheels you've ruled out most of that.

[munkynpunky]

hmmm, well i jacked it up, and the big suspension struts, is that the things that connect the wheels to the chassis in the bonnet?)

well that has a black thing that looks like an accordian at the top, on both sides they both look new.....

any ideas? or am i talking crap?

Also, this is only just starting to happen, and it only happens about once a day.... maybe twice :)

[Evilgoat]

Check your tyre pressures

[munkynpunky]

hmmm, ok - Feeling slightly sheepish now....

front passenger - 17
front driver - 12
rear both 24

both rears are "cheap" new tyres, both fronts are old old old, almost time for new set i think... Need something that means my arse end wont slip out too much in the wet, and i cna change my new rears to the fronts...

fun fun